How an information intervention influences sports club participation. Results from a natural field experiment

Last registered on October 04, 2023

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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title

How an information intervention influences sports club participation. Results from a natural field experiment

RCT ID

AEARCTR-0012186

Initial registration date

September 28, 2023

Initial registration date is when the trial was registered.

It corresponds to when the registration was submitted to the Registry to be reviewed for publication.

First published

October 04, 2023, 4:38 PM EDT

First published corresponds to when the trial was first made public on the Registry after being reviewed.

Locations

Country

Norway

Region

Rogaland

Primary Investigator

Name

Cornel Nesseler

Affiliation

UiS

Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name

Espen Sagen

PI Affiliation

University of Stavanger

Contact Investigator

PI Name

Carlos Gomez-Gonzalez

PI Affiliation

University of Zurich

Contact Investigator

Additional Trial Information

Status

In development

Start date

2023-10-02

End date

2023-12-11

Keywords

Education

Additional Keywords

field experiment, sport participation

JEL code(s)

C93, I2

Secondary IDs

Prior work

This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.

Abstract

Sports clubs play a huge role for social integration and physical fitness for children in many countries. However, several groups are underrepresented in these clubs. Permanently increasing sports club participation has been proven to be difficult.

In this paper, we examine the results from a natural field experiment. We provide elementary school pupils in Rogaland, Norway, with information leaflets about sports clubs in their vicinity. These leaflets contain information about sport type, name and contact of the club, club address, and club webpage. The main information is available in Norwegian, English, Russian, and Arabic.

After two months, we observe if this intervention increased the number of children joining a sports club. The findings are relevant for governing institutions and policy-makers as the setting makes it possible to scale the experiment up. Researchers studying social integration may find the novel method used here of considerable interest.

External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation

Gomez-Gonzalez, Carlos, Cornel Nesseler and Espen Sagen. 2023. "How an information intervention influences sports club participation. Results from a natural field experiment." AEA RCT Registry. October 04. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.12186-1.0

Sponsors & Partners

Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)

The intervention is an information leaflet. These leaflets contain information about sport type, name and contact of the club, club address, and club webpage. The main information is available in Norwegian, English, Russian, and Arabic.

Intervention Start Date

2023-10-16

Intervention End Date

2023-10-23

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)

Sports club participation of elementary school students

Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)

Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

We randomly select 75 schools in Rogaland (a state in Norway) that receive an invitation to participate in an experiment. We explain that participation does not involve too much effort for the schools - that means the schools have to inform the researchers about the number of kids in their classes and the number of kids that participate in a sports club.

If a school responds it is included in the experiment. We then randomly select if a school belongs to the control or the treatment group. In the control group, the schools provide the researchers with information about the pupils sports club participation at the end and the beginning of the experiment. Additionally, the pupils receive a leaflet at the end of the experiment. In the treatment group, the schools provide the researchers with information about the pupils sports club participation at the end and the beginning of the experiment. However, the schools receive the leaflet at the beginning of the experiment.

We then compared sports club participation changes between control and treatment group.

Experimental Design Details

Randomization Method

We use the application Stata to randomly assign a school to the control or treatment group.

Randomization Unit

A unit of randomization is a school.

Was the treatment clustered?

Yes

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters

We start with 75 schools. Our aim is to have at least 20 schools participating.

Sample size: planned number of observations

20 schools, 14 classes per school (on average 2 classes per grade, and 7 grades per school), and 20 pupils per class (on average). In each school, all classes and pupils participate in the assigned treatment arm. However, we do not gather individual data. Only data at the class room level.

Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms

Even 50-50 split between treatment and control. We start with 75 schools. Our aim is to have at least 10 schools in the treatment and 10 in the control group.

Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)

We start with 75 schools. Our aim is to have at least 20 schools participating. Assuming average number of classes per school = 14, power = 80%, and alpha = 0.05, the MDES in standard deviations would be: 20 schools = 0.46 25 schools = 0.37 30 schools = 0.34 35 schools = 0.31 40 schools = 0.29

Supporting Documents and Materials

IRB